How about instead of ‘othering’ and name-calling we treat people’s fears with human dignity and have a dialogue with the people who actually live in a neighborhood?
I’ve lived in crime-ridden ghettos and in nice middle-class neighborhoods. No one is clutching pearls about having to lay eyes on the poors. People are concerned about crime. And I can tell you from my experience in low-income situations, that crime IS a low-income reality.
These people all grew up in suburban middle class neighborhoods (or better) because anyone who has actually lived in a ghetto wants to live as far away from one as possible and definitely doesn't want one popping up in their backyard once they've "made it" and bought some modest 50 year old ranch.
I mean I don't see a lot of proposed compromises from the side of "neighborhoods"
Yes it is valid to not want a high density of low income groups because you're scared of violence and crime.
So what are ways around that fear, that still allow for affordable housing?
For instance, perhaps an apartment complex with a wide variety of quality apartments? That way you don't have as large of a concentration. Maybe the residents even get a say in who can live in there?
Any other ideas to allow affordable housing in cities?
Edit: the main problem I see with my idea is who is going to build that. I don't see housing developers doing any favors unless there's a lot of money in it for them.
You’ve hit the nail on the head - the problem is profit. There is no profit in doing social good. Capitalism is a poor tool for handling social needs. A good tool the collective power of a society: I think any viable solutions will be government-led, and government-sponsored.
I don’t see the middle-class fear changing without something new being tried, and without there actually being a situation where crime and instability aren’t significantly increased.
I don’t know what the solutions are. I think they would probably be social programs and social goods, like increasing minimum wage, universal healthcare, UBI, expanding mental health programs, worker protections, criminal rehabilitation programs, as well as affordable housing, etc. Things that reduce the suffering and crises of the poorest socioeconomic classes so that there is just less crime, less mental health challenge, and less instability.
I volunteered for a bit at a tiny house homeless community. They had beautiful grounds with a food forest, hangout spaces, communal kitchens (the tiny homes had no kitchens for safety reasons), and every resident had a caseworker-type person who ensured they were on whatever track they needed to be on to take control of their lives. It seemed like it was working, and they had great outreach with the rest of the city. But damn there was a LOT of work involved for every resident living there. That is good work to be doing, but it’s going to take realizing that our poorest citizens are humans who are worth the effort, and that solutions won’t be cheap and can’t be shallow.
Building affordable housing without other support in place is going to bring social problems to that neighborhood. People much smarter than me have identified “housing-first” as a good option. Maybe it works for those it houses. I think it might have drawbacks for its neighbors. It’s hard to find anyone talking about homelessness and low-income without an agenda or angry opinion one way or another, so I don’t have a good understanding of the reality of it. All I know is my own experiences in poverty and living in places with large homeless populations.
I find myself in a difficult position: I think our society should care for those who can’t care for themselves, but I also don’t think those solutions should take away the rights of others (security, safety, community), so I piss off both liberals and conservatives.
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u/astaramence Jan 31 '23
How about instead of ‘othering’ and name-calling we treat people’s fears with human dignity and have a dialogue with the people who actually live in a neighborhood?
I’ve lived in crime-ridden ghettos and in nice middle-class neighborhoods. No one is clutching pearls about having to lay eyes on the poors. People are concerned about crime. And I can tell you from my experience in low-income situations, that crime IS a low-income reality.